Limited-run flagship wagon detailed ahead of public debut next week which gets all the fruit and the most powerful engines on offer. Just 2000 will be available globally, with Australia to get something similar, but it won't be exactly the same.

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Volkswagen has revealed the Passat R-Line Edition ahead of its debut at the Geneva motor show next week, essentially a top-shelf launch variant that gets the full suite of new features on offer.

Based on the revised 2020 Passat range revealed earlier this month, the R-Line Edition is limited to 2000 units globally, and is only available in wagon form.

The special-edition model is available with the two flagship engine options: a 176kW 2.0 TDI bi-turbo diesel and a 200kW 2.0 TSI turbo petrol, both paired with 4Motion all-wheel drive as standard.

Also standard is the updated Digital Cockpit driver's display, a 9.2-inch Discover Pro navigation system with eSIM integration and R-Line interface, along with wireless Apple CarPlay.

Equipment normally optional on the wider Passat range is also standard on the R-Line Edition, including the Travel Assist driver assistance system – which combined adaptive cruise and lane-keep functions for semi-autonomous driving up to 210kmh – matrix LED headlights, a 360-degree camera system, and the company's latest iteration of adaptive damper control.

The R-Line Edition also gets a proper 'ESC off' button, in line with the company's full-fat R performance models.

Australia

Speaking with CarAdvice, Volkswagen's local communications boss, Paul Pottinger, said we won't see the R-Line Edition as you see here in Australia, though the 206TSI R-Line flagship will get a similar 'high level' of specification when it arrives later this year.

Further details will be announced closer to the launch of the updated range, which is due Down Under around November or December this year, with new petrol engine options in the base and mid-tier grades, and the new 'MIB3' connected infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay.